Introduction

A little about me.

I'm a 39 year-old woman living in South Florida, and have recently undergone a thyroidectomy. I did a ton of research prior to my surgery about risks, possible recovery issues, etc., but have found that a lot of the information out there is antequated, about one specific issue (weight gain), or often written by patients from other counties (the U.K. for instance). While I do appreciate the information, it's not always pertinent, and I really thought that writing about my experiences would not only possibly help someone out there undergoing this surgery, but would also help me deal with the ups and downs that I've been feeling.

Right now, I feel pretty good. I have been out of the hospital for a week, and feel a little better every day. Not to say that I haven't had bad days. Yesterday was pretty horrible.

When you have a thyroidectomy, particularly if you were hyperthyroid to begin with, you are going to feel pretty listless, and your energy levels are definitely not what they used to be. I've been told that this is a temporary side effect, but this remains to be seen. Another side effect can be bouts of depression, which is a little scary, since my mother has had some issues with depression, and I'm a pretty upbeat person most of the time. Yesterday, I spent most of the day on the couch, and cried at the most ridiculous things. What I'm not sure about is this: is this a side effect of the surgery, and lack of natural hormone, an issue related to being close to a shut-in for a week, or both? My poor husband walked into a shitstorm yesterday of me sitting on the couch crying hysterically. Not fun.

Today I woke up feeling ok. I got up, ate breakfast, got dressed, went to the pool. Maybe it was the sun that I needed, or I was cried out, I just don't know. I just know that I'm not over this, and I'm guessing that it might happen again.

Another side effect that you'll hear a lot about is weight gain, again, particularly if you were hyperthyroid to begin with. I have to admit that I developed some pretty bad eating habits in my twenties, because I really could eat just about anything, and would never gain weight. When I was finally diagnosed at 32, I decided that I would ignore it... I mean, I was thin without trying! Ok, I had a swollen neck, and was always hot, but whatever! Yeah, not cool, but if I'm being honest, that's what I did.

Once I finally started medication last year, I started putting on weight because of my bad eating habits. I put up with this for a while until I noticed that I was getting a pot belly. I started exercizing, eating better (still not great), and slowly, got back down to a normal weight. At that point I was probably 5-10 pounds over my ideal weight, but felt ok about it. Then I lost my job.

Long story short, I yo-yo'd over the next six months. I'd go through a time when I worked out five days a week and ate well, and then I'd binge on coffee ice cream and Starbucks Frappuccinos.

Now I'm maintaining. I'm on Levothyroxine, which I take at night before I go to bed. Ultimately, this is saving me. I've always been a late night snacker, and Levothyroxine can only be taken on an empty stomach. So as soon as I'm done with my dinner, I'm done for the night. I'm also on calcium supplements that must be taken with all of my meals, so I'm eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, which helps (no skipping meals). The one thing that has taken a hit is my exercise regimen. I did get back to an abbreviated version of my routine a few days ago, but I was pretty weak, and a little dizzy. I'll continue to workout when it makes sense.

Finally, the scar. Right now I have a steri-strip on my neck, which is coming off on Monday. I honestly don't know what it will look like, but I'm planning on using vitamin E on the scar twice a day to see if I can get it to heal quickly. More on that after my appointment on Monday.